Westchester County Center
 | |
| Address | 198 Central Ave |
|---|---|
| Location | White Plains, New York |
| Coordinates | 41°2′13″N 73°46′43″W / 41.03694°N 73.77861°W |
| Capacity |
Basketball: 5,000 Concerts: 5,000 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1924 |
| Opened | 1930 |
| Renovated | 1988 |
| Tenants | |
| Westchester Knicks (NBA D-League) (2014–present) | |
| Website | |
| countycenter.biz | |
The Westchester County Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in White Plains, New York. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area.
The County Center was conceived by the Westchester Recreation Commission in 1924 as a multi-purpose indoor recreational facility to host community programs and income-producing commercial events. It was designed by the architectural firm of Walker & Gillette, and built and decorated in the Art Deco style. The construction project cost of approximately $785,000. A $16-million rehabilitation was completed in 1988.
For nearly 80 years the County Center has been Westchester's premier setting for thousands of concerts, trade shows, sports events, meetings, seminars, theatrical presentations, conventions and civic and community events.
On the weekend of May 22, 1930, the Westchester County Center Grand opening gala was held, attracting thousands from all over Westchester to hear such notable musicians as the pianist Percy Grainger, Metropolitan Opera Company tenor Edward Johnson, organist Palmer Christian and more than 1,500 local choral group performers. In the ensuing years, generations of County Center audiences have been treated to performances by such greats as Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Joan Sutherland, James Brown, Kenny Rogers, Janis Joplin and John Sebastian, along with the Harlem Globetrotters, World Wrestling Entertainment, and the Royal Hanneford Circus, one of the longest running events at the Center to date.
Notable events
- Grand opening was held May 22, 1930 features pianist Percy Grainger, Metropolitan Opera Company tenor Edward Johnson, organist Palmer Christian [1]
- First Westchester Music Festival is held in July, 1930 in the newly opened center [2]
- Governor Herbert H. Lehman winds up his campaign with an address at a rally of the American Labor party in 1936 [3]
- Joe Baksi, future heavyweight contender, beat future movie actor Jack Palance (who fought under the name of Jack Brazzo) on December 17, 1940.[4]
- List of over 400 boxing shows held at the center from the boxrec database.[5]
- Since the fall of 2014, it has been the home of the Westchester Knicks, the New York Knicks' farm team in the NBA Development League.
Footnotes
- ↑ countycenter website
- ↑ "TO BEGIN ORGAN RECITALS; Westchester's Summer Program Will Open Today in County Centre", NY Times, July 6, 1930, p 28.
- ↑ "LEHMAN WIND-UP MONDAY; Ends Campaign With Talk at Labor Party Rally in White Plains" October 29, 1936, NY Times
- ↑ Boxrec Jack Brazzo aka Jack Palance
- ↑
Coordinates: 41°2′13″N 73°46′43″W / 41.03694°N 73.77861°W